UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' speech at the 79th session of the UNGA. teleSUR
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00:00Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, our world is in a whirlwind.
00:13We are in an era of epic transformation, facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen.
00:22Challenges that demand global solutions.
00:26Yet geopolitical divisions keep deepening, the planet keeps heating, wars rage with no
00:35clue how they will end, and nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow.
00:44We are edging towards the unimaginable, a power keg that risks engulfing the world.
00:52Meanwhile, 2024 is the year that half of humanity goes to the polls, and half of humanity will
01:01be affected.
01:04I stand before you, in this whirlwind, convinced of two overriding truths.
01:10First, the state of our world is unsustainable.
01:15We can't go on like this.
01:18And second, the challenges we face are solvable, but that requires us to make sure the mechanisms
01:28of international problem-solving actually solve problems.
01:34The summit of the future was a first step, but we have a long way to go.
01:41And getting there requires confronting three major drivers of unsustainability.
01:47A world of impunity, where violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international
01:55law and the UN Charter.
01:58A world of inequality, where injustices and grievances threaten to undermine countries
02:05or even push them over the edge.
02:08And a world of uncertainty, where unmanaged global risks threaten our future in unknowable
02:15ways.
02:17These worlds of impunity, inequality, and uncertainty are connected and colliding.
02:27Excellencies,
02:28We are facing a brutal power struggle that has unleashed horrific violence, including
02:41widespread rape and sexual assaults.
02:45A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding as famine spreads.
02:50Yet outside powers continue to interfere, with no unified approach to finding peace.
02:58In the Sahel, the dramatic and rapid expansion of the terrorist threat requires a joint approach
03:05rooted in solidarity.
03:07But regional and international cooperation have broken down.
03:13From Myanmar, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Haiti, to Yemen, and beyond,
03:19we continue to see appalling levels of violence and human suffering in the face of a chronic
03:25failure to find solutions.
03:28Meanwhile, our peacekeeping missions are too often operating in areas where simply there
03:34is no peace to keep.
03:37Uncertainty in many places around the world is a by-product of instability in power relations
03:44and geopolitical divides.
03:48For all its perils, the Cold War had rules.
03:52There were hotlines, red lines, and guardrails.
03:57It can feel as though we don't have that today.
04:01And nor do we have a unipolar world.
04:03We are moving to a multipolar world, but we are not there yet.
04:08We are in a purgatory of polarity.
04:12And in this purgatory, more and more countries are filling the spaces of geopolitical divides,
04:18doing whatever they want, with no accountability.
04:24That is why it is more important than ever to reaffirm the Charter.
04:28To respect international law.
04:30To support and implement decisions of international courts.
04:34And to reinforce human rights in the world.
04:39Anywhere and everywhere.
04:50Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, rising inequalities are a second driver of unsustainability
04:58and a stain on our collective conscience, not recovered from the surge in inequalities
05:05caused by the pandemic.
05:10Of the world's poorest 75 countries, one-third are worse off today than they were five years ago.
05:18During that same period, the five richest men in the world have more than doubled their wealth.
05:32And the top 1% of people on earth own 43% of all global financial assets.
05:40At the national level, some governments are supercharging inequalities by doling out massive
05:47tax giveaways to corporations and the ultra-rich, while shortchanging investments in health,
05:54education and social protection.
05:57No one is being more shortchanged than the world's women and girls.
06:03Excellencies, rampant gender-based discrimination and abuse are the most prevalent inequality
06:12across all societies.
06:15Every day, it seems that we are confronted by yet more sickening cases of femicide, gender-based
06:22violence and mass rape, both in peacetime and as a weapon of war.
06:30In some countries, laws are being used to threaten reproductive health and rights.
06:36And in Afghanistan, laws are being used to lock in the systematic oppression of women and girls.
06:45And I am sorry to observe that despite years of talk, gender inequality is on full display
06:53in this hall as well.
06:59Less than 10% of speakers during this week's general debate are women.
07:06This is unacceptable, especially when we know that gender equality delivers for peace, sustainable
07:14development, climate action and much more.
07:20That is precisely why we took targeted measures to achieve gender parity among the United Nations senior leadership.
07:42This is a goal that we have already achieved.
07:44It's doable.
07:46We call on male-dominated political and economic establishments around the world to do it as well.
07:53Excellencies, global inequalities are reflected and reinforced even in our own global institutions.
08:02The United Nations Security Council was designed by the victors of the Second World War.
08:10At the time, most of the African continent was still under colonial domination.
08:17To this day, Africa has no permanent seat on the world's preeminent council of peace.
08:27This must change.
08:30So must the global financial architecture, set up 80 years ago.
08:38I commend the leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for taking the important steps that they have.
08:46But, as the Pact for the Future emphasizes, tackling inequalities requires accelerating the development of new tools
08:54The Pact for the Future emphasizes, tackling inequalities requires accelerating reform of the international financial architecture.
09:06Over the past eight decades, the global economy has grown and transformed.
09:12The Bretton Woods institutions have not kept pace.
09:17They can no longer provide a global safety net.
09:22Or offer developing countries the level of support that they need.
09:30In the world's poorest countries, the debt interest payments now cost more on average than investments in education, health and infrastructure combined.
09:42And around the world, more than 80% of sustainable development goal targets are off track.
09:52Excellencies, getting back on track requires a surge of financing for the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
10:03That means that G20 countries need to lead on an SDG stimulus of $500 billion a year.
10:14It means reforms to substantially increase the lending capacity of multilateral development banks.
10:22And to enable them to massively scale up affordable long-term climate and development finance.
10:31It means expanding contingency financing through recycling of special drawing rights.
10:39And it means promoting long-term debt restructuring.
10:45Excellencies, I have no illusions about the obstacles to reform of the multilateral system.
10:53Those with political and economic power, or those who believe they have that power, are always reluctant to change.
11:03But the status quo is already draining their power.
11:06Without reform, fragmentation is inevitable.
11:10And global institutions will become less legitimate, less credible and less effective.
11:17Excellencies, the third driver of our unsustainable world is uncertainty.
11:23The ground is shifting under our feet.
11:27Anxiety levels are off the charts.
11:30And young people in particular are counting on us and seeking solutions.
11:34Uncertainty is compounded by two existential threats.
11:39The climate crisis and the rapid advance of technology, in particular artificial intelligence.
11:46Excellencies, we are in a climate meltdown.
11:51Extreme temperatures, raging fires, droughts and epic floods are not natural disasters.
11:59They are human disasters, increasingly fuelled by fossil fuels.
12:06No country is spared.
12:16But the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit.
12:21Climate hazards are blowing a hole through the budgets of many African countries,
12:25costing up to 5% of GDP every year.
12:30And this is just the start.
12:33We are on course to careen past the global limit of a 1.5 degree temperature rise.
12:39But as the problem gets worse, solutions are getting better.
12:45Renewal prices are plummeting, rollout is accelerating,
12:50and lives are being transformed by affordable, accessible, clean energy.
12:56Renewables don't just generate power, they generate jobs, wealth, energy security,
13:02and they pass out of poverty for millions.
13:06But developing countries cannot be plundered in that journey.
13:10Our Panel on Critical Minerals has recommended fair and sustainable ways
13:15to meet global demands for these resources, which are essential to the renewables revolution.
13:22Excellencies, a future without fossil fuels is certain.
13:28A fair and fast transition is not.
13:32That is in your hands.
13:35By next year, every country must produce an ambitious new National Climate Action Plan
13:41or National Determined Contributions.
13:45And this must bring national energy strategies, sustainable development priorities,
13:50and climate ambitions together.
13:53They must align with the 1.5 degree limit, cover the whole economy,
13:58and contribute to every one of the COP28 energy transition targets.
14:03An International Energy Agency report released today breaks this down.
14:10By 2035, on average, advanced economies must slash energy emissions 80%
14:18and the emerging markets 65%.
14:22The G20 is responsible for 80% of total emissions.
14:27They must lead the charge, keeping with the principle of common
14:31but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities
14:35in the light of different national circumstances,
14:37but this must be done with a joint effort, pooling resources, scientific capacities
14:45and proven and affordable technologies for all to be able to reach those targets.
14:53I am honoured to be working closely with President Lula of Brazil,
14:58with both G20 Chair and COP30 hosts,
15:02to secure maximum ambition, acceleration and cooperation.
15:07We just met for that purpose.
15:10Finance is essential.
15:13COP29 is around the corner.
15:16It must deliver a significant new finance goal.
15:19And we also need a loss and damage fund that meets the scale of the challenge
15:24and developed countries meeting their adaptation finance promises.
15:28And we must finally flip the script on a crazy situation.
15:34We continue to reward polluters to wreck our planet.
15:38The fossil fuel industry continues to pocket massive profits and subsidies
15:43while everyday people bear the costs of climate catastrophe,
15:47from rising insurance premiums to lost livelihoods.
15:51I call on G20 countries to shift money from fossil fuel subsidies and investments
15:57to adjust energy transition, to put an effective price on carbon
16:01and to implement new and innovative sources of financing,
16:05including solidarity levies on fossil fuel extraction
16:09through legally binding transparent mechanisms.
16:13All by next year.
16:17And this taking into account that those who shoulder the blame must foot the bill.
16:26Polluters must pay.
16:32Excellencies, the rapid rise of new technologies poses another unpredictable existential risk.
16:42Artificial intelligence will change virtually everything we know,
16:47from work, education and communication to culture and politics.
16:52We know AI is rapidly advancing, but where is it taking us?
16:57To more freedom or more conflict?
16:59To a more sustainable world or greater inequality?
17:04To being better informed or easier to manipulate?
17:09A handful of companies and even individuals have already amassed enormous power
17:15over the development of AI, with little accountability or oversight for the moment.
17:21Without a global approach to its management,
17:24artificial intelligence could lead to artificial divisions across the board.
17:30A great fracture with two Internets, two markets, two economies,
17:35with every country forced to pick a side and enormous consequences for all.
17:41The United Nations is the universal platform for dialogue and consensus.
17:47It is uniquely placed to promote cooperation on AI
17:50based on the values of the Charter and international law.
17:55The global debate happens here, or it does not happen.
18:00And I welcome important first steps.
18:03Two resolutions in the General Assembly, the Global Digital Compact
18:08and the recommendations of the high-level body on AI
18:11can lay the foundations for inclusive governance of AI.
18:15Let's move forward, together, to make AI a force for good.
18:20Excellencies, nothing lasts forever.
18:24But the feature of human life is that it appears otherwise.
18:29The current order always feels fixed until it is not.
18:34Across human history, we see empires rising and falling,
18:39old certainties crumbling, tectonic shifts in global affairs.
18:44Today, our course is unsustainable.
18:47It is in all our interests to manage the epic transformations underway,
18:53to choose the future we want, and to guide our world towards it.
18:59Many have said that the divisions and differences today are just too great,
19:05that it is impossible for us to come together for the common good.
19:10You proved that is not true.
19:12The summit of the future showed that with a spirit of dialogue and compromise,
19:18we can join forces to steer our world to a more sustainable path.
19:23It is not the end, it is the start of a journey,
19:28a compass in the whirlwind.
19:31Let's keep going.
19:33Let's move our world towards less impunity and more accountability,
19:38less inequality and more justice,
19:40less uncertainty and more opportunity.
19:43The people of the world are looking to us,
19:46and succeeding generations will look back on us.
19:50Let them find us on the side of the United Nations Charter,
19:54on the side of our shared values and principles,
19:58and on the right side of history.
20:01And I thank you.